Makinde who spoke during the burial of Akindele in Ibadan said the legend and role model of development, had numbered his days in wisdom.

He said he was very happy when he finally met Akindele and savoured from his rich experience.

His words: “The first time I met Baba physically was in this church and I said to him that I have been looking for an opportunity for us to meet face-to-face. My father did pray that when I grow up, I should be like Chief Bode Akindele, Parakoyi of Ibadanland. This means Baba numbered his days in wisdom….

“My joy is full today because I eventually got to meet Baba. I actually wish that my father would be alive when I met him. I would have gone home to say that Daddy, I finally met the papa that you always pray that I should be like him. I met him even on that trajectory to fulfilling God’s plan over my life.”

While addressing family members and church leaders at the burial ceremony held in honour of Chief Akindele at the Methodist Cathedral, Agbeni, Ibadan, Makinde asked the family to take solace in the fact that he left legacies of kindheartedness and success that would never die.

A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, quoted Makinde as saying that the late chairman of Modandola Group lived a good life and left indelible marks on the sand of time.

Makinde added that Chief Akindele followed the Biblical admonition in Psalm 90 verse 12, that we should number our days and incline our hearts unto wisdom.

“To Baba’s family, I say this, you may not see Baba physically anymore but our loved ones never really leave us. They live forever with us. Each time we hear a voice that sounds like theirs, someone that shares a similar look or act as they do, we are reminded that a part of them always remains with us. But even more than that, we take solace in the fact that someday, very soon, we will all meet again never to part,” the governor said.

He added:  “On this occasion, what came to my mind was Psalm 90 verse 12 and I was surprised that when I came in here, it was the same verse that we read: Teach us to number our days that we may apply our heart unto wisdom. So, to number our days in wisdom is to leave a mark in the sand of time. It means to ensure that when we are no more and people are to speak of us, they won’t struggle to find things to say because we have left a legacy for posterity.”

Governor Makinde recalled how Chief Akindele had wanted to volunteer his multimillion Naira medical facility to the state government as an isolation centre at the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, saying “Baba was looking for me on how to use his medical facility as an isolation centre for Oyo State. Not only that, it is also on record that Baba is the largest single donor to Oyo State COVID-19 Endowment Fund. So, he was a legend and will live forever.

“He achieved success as an entrepreneur, industrialist and philanthropist. So, he remains a model for me. After I won the election, those that are familiar with my electioneering campaign will remember I promised that once we come in, I would go to Ikere Gorge Dam and ensure that, within one year in office, Oyo State must go into freshwater stream farming. So, I came in and we started all the work. At that time, Baba invited me to his house at Alomaja and I was with him for about two hours that day. He tore all my ideas into pieces. He told me of the challenges he went through when he was into stream thing. And we have committed a lot of resources of Oyo State into that effort.

“After I left Baba, I went back home and called some of those that are close to me and told them Baba has succeeded in tearing our ideas to pieces and, as a result, we would not go ahead with it. This is because we would not commit Oyo State resources to a project that we cannot see the end from the beginning.

“So, I lost and then we went back to the drawing board. We are doing a lot more research to see if this can still be done in a way that will be beneficial to Oyo state, because I was looking for the opportunity to win the argument with Baba, but Baba answered the call of God. So, I acknowledged that I lost that argument with Baba and there is nothing I can do anymore.”

The governor added that the Chief Akindele he knew was kindhearted and accessible, noting that he would be missed by a lot of people to whom he was a role model.

“So, Chief Akindele that I knew was a kindhearted man, easy to talk to and get along with. And when I say this, I know I speak for all. It is not only Mama and his children and grandchildren. He will be sorely missed by all of us. He numbered his days in wisdom and left a pattern for us all. So, the greatest tribute we can pay him is to continue in his footsteps and making sure that his legacy does not die.

“To Baba’s family, I say this, you may not see papa physically anymore but our loved ones never really leave us. They live forever with us. Each time we hear a voice that sounds like theirs, someone that shares a similar look or act as they do, we are reminded that a part of them always remains with us. But even more than that, we take solace in the fact that someday, very soon, we will all meet again never to part.”

In his sermon, the Prelate of Methodist Church of Nigeria, Dr. SCK Uche, said that the late Akindele served God and humanity to the best of his ability, adding that the family he left behind must build on his legacy by ensuring equity, unity and righteousness among the wives and children.

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I had greatly debated with myself whether I should write a tribute to Chief Bode Akindele. This is more so, considering that my close relationship with Chief Akindele was for about 5 years. I believe that there are so many people who knew him for a longer period of time and thus are more qualified to write a proper tribute.

I resolved to write this tribute primarily to inform the younger generation about the great vision and strides a confident Nigerian businessman can make on the global stage especially when the individual is focused and determined, rather than being weighed down by perceived disadvantages and other misconceptions.

Four Nigerian businessmen have had great effect on my entrepreneurial interest. Chief Bode Akindele was one of them.

The other individual whom I will mention in this tribute is Mr. Wilberforce Olusegun Odulate. It was Mr. Odulate who made me realise that academic disposition and entrepreneurial activities were not irreconcilable. Having been brought up in a family of professionals, all I was primed to do from youth was to be a successful legal practitioner and be elevated to the Bench or remain as a practitioner in the Bar.

Chief Bode Akindele loathed the idea of fronting for anybody. He felt it was very belittling for anybody to be a front.

Mr. Odulate had studied Physics in a University in England. He had a very good job but opted to reinvent his father’s business in producing Alabukun powder. At some point, Mr. Odulate was writing a textbook on Physics in England whilst also involved in the business of producing Alabukun in Nigeria.

I met Mr Odulate through his son, Koye, who was my contemporary and friend at Cambridge University. Koye used to pick me up from Cambridge to London and we (i.e. Mr. Odulate, Koye and I) would spend an entire evening till the early hours of the morning discussing Greek Philosophy and sometimes business strategy. These interactions with Mr. Odulate were very unique to me. How could a philosopher be a very successful businessman? I remain grateful to Mr. Odulate for opening my eyes to see that scholarship and business are not irreconcilable. May his entrepreneurial spirit continue to rest in peace.

I met Chief Bode Akindele through a banker who had supported most of his industrial projects in Nigeria. Chief Akindele’s primary legal adviser in Nigeria had just passed away and he had so many legal issues that he wanted resolved. The banker nominated me to Chief Akindele. I can still vividly recall the reaction of Chief Akindele when he saw me. He was expecting a man in his middle age and not a 30-year old boy. After the first assignment our firm carried out for Chief Akindele, he stopped seeing me as a young man and we simply got on like a house on fire.

Chief Bode Akindele had so many unique qualities and capacities that cannot be described properly in a short tribute like this. I will only highlight a few. Chief Akindele had enormous self-confidence and never felt overwhelmed by expatriates. He could not be a stooge for anybody no matter how highly placed. I saw this attitude displayed when he decided to pull out of a major construction company. Chief Akindele owned 50% of the company and was not going to kowtow to anybody. The severance was a battle which played out in Lagos, London and Switzerland. His adversaries had a barrage of lawyers from all these jurisdictions.

It also had the support of some high ranking members of Government. I was with Chief Akindele, as his lawyer, at every forum. This was very encouraging to me. On many occasions, Chief Akindele will say to me, “Wale, I can bet that you can take them all together and carry the day”. That was a great encouragement for, and confidence in, a 30-year old man! The Managing Director of the company was so browbeaten by Chief Akindele and his team that he told me at a later stage that in his entire business life, no one had totally dominated him in any sphere of business like Chief Bode Akindele.

Chief Bode Akindele loathed the idea of fronting for anybody. He felt it was very belittling for anybody to be a front. Fronting in Nigeria’s context means that you present yourself as the owner of a business while you are simply a lackey to the real owners. Chief Akindele could not understand why anybody could do such a thing when one could build or acquire the business for one’s self.

In this context I also remember another instance our firm provided legal services for Chief Bode Akindele in the severance transaction of a port inspection agency. In that transaction, the other side paraded very important names in the society. Chief Akindele had complete disdain for these men. Whenever they approached him for discussion, Chief Akindele would say to me, “Wale you know that man is a front. He is not a real man.”

Chief Akindele wanted Nigerians to aspire to any level of business in the world and not play second fiddle to any person(s). Chief Akindele’s group led the acquisition of a Swedish match manufacturing company which at a stage controlled about 60% of the global match market. What a phenomenon Chief Akindele was! He was never willing to play second fiddle. Chief Akindele led from the front.

Chief Akindele’s penchant for hard work was indescribable. On one occasion, I was with him in Switzerland for a transaction and we usually commenced our meetings at 9:00am and would only break at 7:00pm for dinner. There was no lunch. We ate cold sandwiches, biscuits, coffee and tea all day.

Chief Akindele’s partner was Dr. Alfred Hartmann who had retired as General Manager of Union Bank of Switzerland and was then sitting on about seven boards of different banks in Switzerland. Even though I was sometimes uncomfortable with eating the biscuits and sandwiches, I could not complain because my very wealthy and older clients endured this situation with ease. I had no locus standi to protest.

Apart from the very challenging work schedule, being with Chief Akindele abroad was always a pleasure. Chief Akindele’s ability to entertain was on a different level.

After the meeting on a particular day, I had suggested to them that we should take a taxi to the Dolder Grande where we were staying. It was a bitterly cold day in Zurich. The reaction of the duo shocked me. Dr. Hartmann wondered why we should waste about €5 (five euros) when we could enjoy the trek of about two miles to the hotel. I could not understand how two billionaires found it difficult to spend €5 on transport. I later learnt that Chief Akindele was extremely prudent with money and this probably explains why, in addition to his phenomenal intellect, Chief Akindele was able to accumulate so much wealth.

I was also very thrilled, if not bewildered by this ability to define relationships and place each relationship in its own compartment.

The Company Secretary of almost all the companies of Chief was his wife, Mrs. Atema Akindele. She was a very outstanding secretary. At official functions, the relationship was so strictly official that you could not imagine that they had a relationship as husband and wife.

Apart from the very challenging work schedule, being with Chief Akindele abroad was always a pleasure. Chief Akindele’s ability to entertain was on a different level. He was well known in all the exclusive restaurants in England and all other leading European Cities.

Chief Akindele and I had a falling out until around January 1994. I believe it was occasioned by poor communication and I never took it against him. I always enjoyed his company. At his daughter, Iyabo’s wedding; I sat with him and Brigadier Oluwole Rotimi (an outstanding solider, military administrator and gentleman). We bantered for most of the evening. I usually approached him at every public function to extend my regards.

When my company won the concession for the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Chief Akindele called me and was ecstatic. In addition to congratulating me, he offered to link me up with the best consultants in the development of toll roads. He also prayed that I should not encounter the typical bureaucratic resistance to any solid project in Nigeria. Evidently, Chief Akindele remained warm to me till his last days.

Nigeria has lost a great entrepreneur and a man of phenomenal courage.

Adieu Chief Bode Akindele, Para Koyi Ibadan, Oba Ibomi, Okunrin Mewa, Omo Alhaja Rabiatu. May your enterprising soul continue to soul rest in peace.

*Dr. Babalakin, SAN,  a businessman and lawyer is Chairman of Resort International Ltd.

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The president made the remark in a message of condolence on the death of Akindele.

In the statement issued by his media aide, Mr. Femi Adesina, on Monday, the president said the death of the foremost philanthropist and entrepreneur was an irreparable loss to the country.

His words: “Chief Akindele was a man of many parts. He was a creator of jobs who demonstrated untiring love for the down-trodden.

“His philanthropic gestures knew no bounds, intervening especially in critical sectors of the economy.”

The president said Bode Akindele was one of the first set of people who donated generously to government’s fight against COVID-19.

That, Buhari said, was apart from the immeasurable contributions to development and progress of his community and country in general.

The president commiserated with the family of the deceased, the government and people of Oyo State, particularly the Olubadan-in-Council.

Akindele held the chieftaincy title of Parakoyi of Ibadanland.

The president commiserated with the organised private sector too.

He prayed to God to grant Akindele eternal rest.

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